Sunday, August 12, 2012

I'm always surprised when I see how well received the Fleischer cartoons were in Europe at the time of their release. While other would be animated cyphers, outside Mickey Mouse, failed to make an impact it seems the french embraced Betty Boop almost immediately. There is even a possibly apocryphal story that Jean Paul Sartre was a fan. Who knows? Anyway, here is an article from a french newspaper, Minerva, from 1934 in which child stars (of whom she is included) are featured...

"During the span of years from 1914, I have made efforts to retain the "cartoony" effect. That is, I did not welcome the trend of the industry to go "arty". It was, and still is, my opinion that a cartoon should represent, in simple form, the cartoonist's mental expression. In other words the "animated oil painting" has taken the place of the flashiness and delightfulness of the simple cartoon.

In my opinion, the industry must pull back. Pull away from the tendencies toward realism. It must stay in it's own backyard of "The Cartoonist's Cartoon." The cartoon must be a portrayal of the expression of the true cartoonist, in simple, unhampered cartoon style. The true cartoon is a great art in it's own right. It does not need the assistance or support of "Artiness." In fact, it is actually hampered by it." - Max Fleischer